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Next week sees the release of Tea at the Grand Tazi, a debut novel by British author Alexandra Singer. Getting your novel published is a commendable achievement by any standard, but Singer’s story is made all the more amazing given that four years ago she couldn’t even remember starting the book that would go on to bring her such success.

The trainee lawyer found herself on the brink of death after being struck down by cerebral lupus, a rare autoimmune disease that left her in a coma for three months. Two months after she came out of the coma, she asked her family if she had written a novel, unsure whether it was true or she had dreamt it.

She was conscious but completely bed bound with limited use of her hands when her brother found the unfinished manuscript in her flat and brought it to her in hospital. Amazingly, she spent the next four years re-teaching herself to write and setting strict writing targets to complete Tea at the Grand Tazi.

I have yet to read it (it’s said to be an intense, colourful portrayal of a young expat’s journey into the seedy underbelly of Marakech) but with a real life story like that, Singer’s debut definitely deserves to pack a punch.

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